Barack Obama congratulates Putin on winning presidential election

March 10, 2012, 0:39 UTC+3Putin spoke for more intensive development of political relations between Russia and the US

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MOSCOW, March 10 (Itar-Tass) — The US President Barack Obama called Russia’s President Elect, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and congratulated him on the victory in the presidential election, the prime minister’s aide on international affairs Yuri Ushakov said on Friday.

“The telephone conversation was rather informal and lasted for about 20 minutes,” he said.

The US president expressed hope” the positive tendencies of several years in the bilateral relations would be improved,” Ushakov said. “Obama expressed readiness to work with President Elect Vladimir Putin.” Putin, in his turn, thanked Obama for the congratulation and stressed the major importance of cooperation between Russia and the US is providing peace in the world, especially in the current turbulent situation.

Vladimir Putin also stressed the big achievements in the bilateral relations, for example in the new START and in the fruitful negotiations on Russia’s joining the WTO. At the same time, he pointed to the different views of Moscow and Washington on negotiations about antimissile defence, and stressed that development of economic relations is inferior to development of political relations.

Putin said that the trade and economic relations of the two countries have a big reserve and strengthening of those “will enable having an insurance net to protect the bilateral political relations from the volatile state of affairs.”

Putin spoke for more intensive development of political relations between Russia and the US.

Ushakov said that over the telephone conversation the two sides expressed readiness to organise a bilateral summit soon.

Vladimir Putin wished to Barack Obama success in the presidential election campaign, which continues in the United States now.

Barack Obama thanked Vladimir Putin and expressed interest in working with the president elect, including in the economic sphere, and on the international agenda. He added prior to the meeting in person, assistants and experts should contact each other to prepare the meeting better.

Yuri Ushakov said that during the conversation Vladimir Putin said there is every reason to make a qualitative breakthrough in the bilateral relations. Putin and Obama expressed readiness to be contacting each other before the meeting in person.